The University of Delaware Chorale
For 25 Years, the University of Delaware Chorale has set a standard for musical excellence, engagement, and artistic achievement. Composed primarily of undergraduate students at the University of Delaware, singers in the choir often sing with the Delaware Choral Scholars.
Read the program notes for our upcoming concerts here!
THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE CHORALE has enjoyed sustained artistic success both nationally and abroad. Composed primarily of undergraduate and graduate music majors, as well as talented undergraduate musicians outside of the School of Music, The 50-voice choir has been invited to perform on numerous regional and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association in the last two decades, including national conventions in Los Angeles (2005) and Dallas (2013). In 2007, the Chorale won the Grand Prix in the Estonian International Choral Competition, and has subsequently garnered awards in Tolosa, Spain (2010), Debrecen, Hungary (2012), and Mainhausen, Germany (2017).
The UD CHORALE frequently performs with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, has made appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York, Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and, as an integral part of the Delaware Choral Scholars, has participated in numerous international collaborations. For six years, they were the Choir-in-Residence for the Delaware Choral Academy in France (2015-2019), and in 2017, had the privilege of joining the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra during their national tour of Israel.
The UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE CHORALE is open to audition for any student at the University of Delaware. The ensemble encapsulates a wide variety of majors, and blends the experiences of music majors and non-majors alike.
Recent Endeavors
What are we up to, and what have we been up to in the past? Read about it here!
Fall 2023 Tour
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York
The University of Delaware Chorale embarked on its annual fall tour, stopping at St. Albert the Great Church in Huntingdon Valley, PA, before working its way through a plethora of high schools and worship spaces in and around Long Island, NY! On its way back, the ensemble made its way through several stops in New Jersey, notably making its penultimate performance in Trinity Presbyterian Church in Cherry Hill, NJ. Chorale’s final performance of tour took place at St. Helena’s Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, DE.
Tour Program
Spring 2023 Tour
New Jersey
The University of Delaware Chorale presented its second annual Spring mini-tour of New Jersey, this time featuring UD’s newest choir: Resound! The choirs visited Hillsborough and Roxbury, and returned to Madison to perform an evening concert at St. Vincent Martyr Catholic Church for the second year in a row, this year in collaboration with the New Jersey Youth Chorus!
Fall 2022 Tour
Maryland and Delaware
For a few days in the Fall of 2022, the UD CHORALE embarked on its first full-fledged regional tour, traveling through schools in Maryland and Delaware.
Of the nine schools visited, five of the choral directors were themselves alumni of the UD CHORALE! The repertoire featured songs based on or adjacent to Shakespeare’s texts and poetry.
Spring 2022 Tour
New Jersey
As was the way for many choirs during the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic, the UD CHORALE went dark from the Spring of 2020 – to the spring of 2021. After over a year of silence, the choir came back with determination in the Fall of 2021, singing through masks at their fall concert.
In the spring of 2022, the UD CHORALE presented their first tour together since the Fall of 2019, singing with immense vivacity and joy. With a program centering around Morten Lauridsen’s Mid-Winter Songs, the choir brought audiences and high schools throughout New Jersey great happiness through their engagement and commitment to the music and to each other.
Dr. Paul D. Head
Director
Paul D. Head serves as the Director of Choral Studies at the University of Delaware, and has directed the University of Delaware Chorale since 1997. Read more about Dr. Head here on our homepage!
Testimonials
What do our singers have to say about being in the UD CHORALE?
“I’ve been singing in choirs since I was 5 years old and UD Chorale is THE most talented and amazing choir I’ve ever been a part of. Nothing compares to the pure joy I’ve felt making music with this group of people.”
– Nick, from Delaware
“I remember coming into Chorale for the first time on a shadow day with other prospective students and just being amazed at the level of talent and dedication of the other humans in the room. Despite the complex repertoire, everyone in there was sight-reading with crazy speed and confidence. I knew then that I wanted to be in AED118 singing with a group of individuals that are as dedicated to choir music and accepting of every person that walks through those doors. I never once felt othered as a prospective student. I wanted to be in the family that is the UD Chorale.”
– Emily, from New Jersey
“There’s an unspoken magic that happens when you enter the room to sing with Chorale. There’s no way to describe it, you just have to experience it.“
– Shaun, from New York
“The fact that I can come to rehearsal every week and sing with humans I might otherwise never meet or speak to outside of music is purely magic. Even in the loneliest and darkest hours, UD Chorale is a place where I can come and truly feel connected to something greater through song, even if just for a moment.”
– Arden, from Virginia